[Evoked potentials and the prediction of the efficacy of psychopharmaceutical agents].

The authors have studied early brain stem auditory evoked potentials (EPs) registered after a single intramuscular administration of 2.5 mg of haloperidol in 32 healthy volunteers and 14 schizophrenic patients. Haloperidol led to a significant decrease in the latency of wave V of brain stem auditory EPs in patients with schizophrenia and to its increase in normal subjects. A diminution in wave V of brain stem auditory EPs directly correlated with a reduction of psychopathology expressed in points of the Overall-Gorham scale (BPRS) and observed after one-month haloperidol treatment. The authors discuss the possibility of using changes in brain stem auditory EPs after a single administration of various psychotropics to select an optimal drug for a given patient and also as a possible supplementary diagnostic criterion.